Neon Amber [BoyXBoy Romance]

8

"Travis, Harlow. Harlow, Travis."

She gave me a delicate handshake. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," I agreed, blushing.

"Yeah, she's my lil' roomie. And best friend."

Harlow had a flirtatious aura about her. Her mannerisms were soft and delicate, betraying her bad girl aesthetic. Smokey eyes, professional level contour, super snatched eyebrows, and two arms littered with tattoos. She was a rose with thorns. "I let him believe he's my best friend," she joked.

"Okay, she's right. Because a best friend wouldn't have served me a watered down drink."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever just make sure you tip! Travis, it was a dope pleasure meeting you."

He guffawed, a little bit of his drink flew from his mouth and landed on the table. "Dope pleasure?"

She flicked him off before disappearing back behind the bar.

Three sips was all it took for me to get buzzed. The warm feeling alcohol gifted us with helped conversation flow effortlessly. Any nerves swarming around inside of me was burned by the cocktail. Seven's smile never faltered. Even when I went into a semi-long rant about Tyrique and how much of an idiot he was. He agreed and told me a story about a closet case he dated when he was my age.

Seven's demeanor was always so cool, like he smoked a blunt and never left the clouds. When I told him the about what happened at the clinic, he laughed and slammed his hand against the table. His laughter was contagious; we must've looked drunk out our minds, laughing carelessly in a drunken spur. My arm landed on the table, reaching for nowhere. In the midst of catching our breath, the tips of our fingers grazed one another. The simple interaction ignited a fire in my loins. He didn't move his hand until they announced him to the stage.

"B-R-B."

He walked to the stage; a trail of eyes lustfully followed him. I probably would've felt jealous if I wasn't drunk and the room wasn't spinning. The lights faded to black. A fat guy wearing a security shirt shined a spotlight on Seven, giving him an ethereal glow. Harlow quickly strutted over and took a seat where Seven just was. She greeted me with another gorgeous smile and then turned toward the stage.

"I didn't bring my guitar tonight," Seven stated, through a swivel of static. "I'm just going to do this one acapella. I wrote it not too long ago. It's about you know, fucking heartbreak and shit. This dude I used to talk to—I don't really care 'bout him anymore. But the other night, I got so fucking high, and I realized I never told him how I really felt. And well this is how I feel."

The room fell quiet aside from a few hipster girls cackling in the back of the bar.

"You were the fire that burned inside of me / If it wasn't for you I could not see/ So why did you leave me..."

He didn't need his guitar or a backing instrumental. I felt the sorrow swimming in his lungs. The sullen feeling of abandonment dragging in every note. He went on singing his sad song, and his voice continued to caress me. I closed my eyes and fell inside of his story. I imagined rain and thunder roaring, while a helpless boy cried after his lover left him. The world was black and white. Only the boy's heartbeat was in color. It might've been the alcohol, but I swore at that moment his voice could move mountains. I opened my eyes. Not a single soul had their eyes on their phones, or ducked off in other directions. All eyes were on him.

I wanted to dance while you held my hand / All I wanted was just to be your man...

I needed to know who broke his heart. Who left him abandoned in the rain? Whoever this guy was—he was a fucking idiot. Seven had a heart of gold, he had goals, and from the bit I knew of him, he seemed understanding. So how could someone abandon a person with such passion burning inside of them? I couldn't help but compare him to Tyrique. Tyrique failed on every level. He had no motivation, no future, no love, no passion. The guy of my dreams was singing here right in front of me.